Guest post: The usefulness of mapping social networks

Originally a comment by guest on We like to live in the just world.

All of these comments are making me realise what an excellent course this would make – a history of the causes of the Industrial Revolution/justification for current global economic inequality, from the canonical roll-call of clever Englishmen (and Scotsmen) through naturalistic, cultural and institutional explanations to the story emerging today based on new research methods, connections among disciplines and information sources. I cannot possibly be the first person to think of this (though you never know, I’ve been surprised before) – over winter break I’ll ask around and see if I can find people who have done this/are doing this, and if I do come across any good course outlines or reading lists I’ll share.

One of these new research methods is prosopography, the study of social networks – up until about 20 years ago prosopographical tools were used almost exclusively by classical and ecclesiastical historians, but since then a lot more people have become aware of the usefulness of mapping social networks in understanding knowledge transfer and the workings of power. They also help set the ‘great men’ of technology into their social context, helping us see them not as ‘lone geniuses’ but more as foci for the contributions required for innovation to happen. A great example of this is one historian’s lockdown project of linking all the named people involved in creating the SS Great Britain.

I’m not sure what anyone’s actually used this for yet, but it’s a unique – I think? – visualisation of the personal connections required for innovation to happen. I’d love to see more of these (but I can appreciate that they are a hell of a lot of work, and I wouldn’t wish for another lockdown just so more historians get bored enough to do this).

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